Precision structural systems carrying a load, such as a telescope system, may be susceptible to disturbances that produce structural vibrations. These structural vibrations may concomitantly produce pointing errors in the telescope system. The disturbances may be attributed to components or assemblies of a structural system itself, and are typically distributed throughout the precision structure. Thus, the structural vibrations produced by these disturbance sources may also be distributed throughout the precision structure. Because these structural systems typically have little inherent damping, vibration isolation systems may be used to damp these disturbance-induced vibrations in the precision structure and isolate the payload carried by the precision structure.
Vibration isolation systems typically include a plurality of vibration isolators between the precision structure and the payload. The plurality of vibration isolators that comprise the vibration isolation system may include passive vibration isolators, active vibration isolators, or hybrid vibration isolators. In many instances, the vibration isolation system employs a plurality of hybrid vibration isolators. Hybrid vibration isolators include both passive and active vibration isolators, and thus exhibit the desirable characteristics of both passive and active vibration isolators. Namely, the good vibration isolation at relatively high frequencies that passive vibration isolators exhibit, and the good vibration isolation at relatively low frequencies, and active tuning, that active vibration isolators exhibit.
Vibration isolation systems also typically include a central control that is electrically coupled to each of the hybrid vibration isolators via interconnecting cables. The central control receives data from each hybrid isolator, processes the data, and supplies appropriate commands to each hybrid vibration isolator to damp the vibrations at each isolator's location. The central control is typically disposed in a central electronics control box. As may be appreciated, this central electronic control box represents a relatively large single point mass in the system, which can increase vibration isolation system design complexity. Moreover, modifications to the precision structure may be needed to accommodate the interconnecting cables and associated cable harnesses. Furthermore, both the central control and the interconnecting cables increase overall system weight, which can adversely impact overall system construction and operational costs.
Hence, there is a need for a vibration isolation system that provides heterogeneous disturbance suppression while reducing overall system complexity by eliminating large single point masses, and/or by eliminating cable harnesses, and/or reducing structural modifications to the structure itself. The present invention addresses one or more of these needs.